New League Service: Natural Gas Purchasing Program

By Anthony Minghine

As you may have heard, the League is starting a natural gas purchasing program for our members.

League to Negotiate Lower Prices for Members
The goal of this exciting new program is to combine our members’ collective natural gas usage and use it to negotiate more favorable rates than they would each be able to achieve on their own. For many years, Michigan users of natural gas have been able to select an alternative supplier to provide the actual commodity, and the distribution of that commodity remains with the current utility provider. Many may already be using an alternative natural gas provider. This program will take that approach to the next level by negotiating directly with suppliers on behalf of the participants.

No New Infrastructure or Investment Required
Participating in the gas program will not require any new infrastructure or investment on your part. Our goal will be to negotiate with multiple suppliers to address our geographic challenges, and members can sign up. We are excited about the timing of the launch. Natural gas prices are historically low, and we believe the savings potential is fairly high.

How Do We Participate?
In the near future, interested members will need to state their intent to participate and supply the League with some basic information. We will be looking for data on usage, number and location of meters, name of your local utility provider, and other information we need to get the best pricing. We are anticipating that members will need to commit to participate for a defined period—most likely a year—for the purchase of their natural gas. This is necessary for us to be able to effectively negotiate, and the commitment is similar to what most other alternative providers require.

The League is extremely excited about this new opportunity. So much of what we do is based upon the collective power and strength of our members, and this program is no different. We are proud to be able to offer this service, and look forward to working with you to make it a success.

Members should watch our website mml.org, and/or their email for further information.

Anthony Minghine is the associate executive director and COO of the League. You may reach him at 734-669-6360 or aminghine@mml.org